Printing machine



Jan. 10, 1928. 1,655,792

- JLKRELL PRINTING MACHINE Filed 00%,. 18. 1926 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2), Z M/ fy Jan. 10, 1928. 1,655 792 J. KRELL PRINTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 18. 192 m 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH KRELL, OI BERLIN-PAIIKOW, GERMANY.

PRINTING MACHINE.

Application filed October 18, 1926, Serial No. 142,491, and in Germany October 30, 1925.

My invention relates to printing machines and more particularly to addressing machines of the type in which printing plates from a magazine are moved through the 5 machine past a printing station where an impression platen at the end of a rocking lever makes the impression by exerting pressure on the printing plate and the article to be printed, for instance, an envelope.

l In machinesas heretofore constructed the impression platen was invariably flat. This involves difliculties because it is indispensible that the impression platen should be adjusted very exactly, and move in strictly parallel relation with respect to the rinting plate, and considerable pressure is required, as otherwise good impressions will not result. These conditions are not easily fulfilled andv involve particular difliculties with large printing plates.

It is an object o my invention to remove these difiiculties and to this end I provide an impression sector instead of a fiat impression platen, i. e. a platen which is curved on 2 the arc of a circle and the perimeter of which exceeds the length of the printing plates.

The sector is pivotally carried at the free end of the impression lever and its pivot is adapted to be dis laced in the lever and means are provided for rocking the sector while it is being so displaced and for causing it to roll on'the article to be printed which is' laced on top of the printing-plate, and to rei zllrn to its initial position when the printing operation has been completed.

' y novel arrangement not only facilitates the ad 'ustment of the impression sector but I also obtain more easily a good impression 40 as the impression is effected arcuate face on the article.

Notwithstanding this improvement, I am able to provide means for not printing certain matter from the printing plates, exactly as in normal machines having a fiat impression platen, andI may cancel certain matter by entirely orpartly exchanging the lining of the im ression platen.

Prefera 1y I return the impression sector into its initial position by reversin its rocking motion but also byrocking it ther in the same direction'until it has performed a completerevolution and returned to its ini tial position. v I I ,In a preferred embodiment of my invention I support the sector on a pivot in the by rolling an ing plates 4 are in which the plates are head of the impression lever. which pivot when the rocking lever is in its lower end positlon is automatically displaced horizontally in the head of the lever. A correspond' mg displacement is effected in opposite direction for replacing the sector in its initial position and the sector is rocked about its pivot during these displacements.

In a printing machine according to m invention it makes no difference Whether the printing plates are .fed through the machine -longitudinally or transversely, and whether the sector is rolled on the article in the longitndinal direction, i. e. in the direction of the lines of the impression, or transversely thereto.

In the drawings, an addressing machine in which the printing plates are fed through the machine in their longitudinal direction, is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings Fig. 1 'is a perspective illustration of the machine,

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 illustrate, scale, three sion lever, a

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the cam shaft for operating the impression lever and the impression sector,

Figs. 6 and 7 are large scale sections of the head of the impression lever, showing the impression sector in its initial and final positions, respectively,

Fig. 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6,

Figs. 9 of sector Referring now to the drawings, 1 is the frame of the addressing machine, 2 is its table, 3 is the magazine in which the printstored, and 6 is a collecting box for receiving the plates 4 after printing.- Any suitable means, not shown, are provided for feeding the plates 4 in succession ast the printing station 10 in their longitudinal direction, guides being provided for the plates. The arrow 5 infdigates the direction 7 is a roc g impression lever and 8 is its ivot. It will be understood that I am not imited to a rocking lever. 9 is the impression sector which is carried in the slotted head of the rockin arm 7. The sector is raised and lowere .with the reciprocation of the arm at the printing station 1'0, and 11 is an ribbon which is moved past on a larger and 10 are developed illustrations positions of the rocking impresit by the sector 9 so that the article is firmly held to'the ribbon and the ribbon is held to the printing plate 4 below the ribbon.

Motion is imparted to the machin by a motor 12 which rotates a shaft 13 a ranged below the table 2 through suitable gearing not shown in detail, and a belt drive. 14 is a hollow cam shaft which is free to rotate on the shaft 13 and adapted to be connected with the shaft by a clutch 17, and 15, 16 are cams on the hollow shaft 14. A pedal 18, or any other suitable means may be pro- .vided for throwing in and out the clutch 17.

The cam operates the rocking lever 7 through the medium of a roller 7 at the end of a downward extension 7 of the lever. 19 is a pull-back spring tending to hold the lever engaged with its cam. The cam 16- cooperates with a double-armed lever 20 fulcrumed at 22 and provided with a pull-back spring 37 at its lower, and a push rod 21 at its upper end. This mechanism brings about the rocking and reciprocating motion of the sector 9, as will presently be described.

The relative position of the cams 15 and 16. is such that upon rotation of the shaft 13 in the direction of the arrow 24, Figs. 2, 3, and'4, from the initial position, Fig. 2, into the starting position of the sector 9, Fig. 3, the lever 7 will maintain its position until its roller 7 has been released by the cam 15. This occurs in the final position of Fig. 4. As the part 15 of the cam is concentric to the axis of the shaft 14, the lever 7 does not move while the camrotates from the position in Fig. 3 intothat in Fig. 4. When the rocking arm 7 has assumed the position shown in Fig. 3 the cam 16 starts to rock the lever 20 and to move the pivot 23 of the sector 9 from the left end of its slot 25 in the head 7" to the right end, the slot being so arranged as to assume a horizontal position when the arm 7 is in the position of Figs. 3 and 4.

The sector 9 is cylindrical with the pivot 23 for its axis, and the lengthof its perimeter is at least equal to the width of the printing plates 4. As will best be seen in Fig. 8, thesector 9 is builtfup from two blocks 99 which are free to turn on the pivot 23 and a sector shapedtransverse part 9" to which is secured the support 28 for the rubber-lining 27. 30 is a sup ort keyed to thepivot 23, 33 is a in at the lower end of, the sup ort, 32 an 34 are two integral gears whic are free'to rotate on the pin 33, 31 is a pinionloosely mounted on the pivot 23 and meshing with the gear 32 and 35 and 36 are racks in the slotted head 7" and the sector 9, respectively, with which the gears 31 and 34 are meshing. 0

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the rubber lining 27 may be partly cut away in order to eliminate some of the matter printed by the printing plates 4. As the same points of the linings 27 will invariably face the same points of the prihting plate, it follows that in this manner the same matter will be eliminated as often as an article is printed. Obviously, a solid lining may be exchanged for a lining that has been cut away at any point as shown in Fig. 10 and the sector will not print here.

Before a printing oporationis started the impression lever 7 and the sector 9 will as sume the position in Fig. 2. When the machine is started by throwing in the clutch 14, the operation of the machine will be as follows:

When the elevated face 15' of the cam 15 engages the roller 7 of the lever 7 the lever will be moved into the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6 in which the slot 25 is horizontal. The left edge of the sector 9 is now in engagement with the printing surface above the printing plate 4. Upon further rotation of the cam shaft 14 the cam 16 acts on the lever 20 while the arm '7 remains stationary and pushes the pivot 23 to the right in the slot 25, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. During this displacement of the pivot 23, the pinion 31 rolls on the rack 35 and transmits its rotation to the ear 32. The gear 34 partakes in this rotation and causes the sector 9 to rock to the right on its pivot 23 by engagement with the circular rack 36 in the sector. The sector now moves in the direction of the arrow 38, Fig. 7, exerting pressure on the article, envelope or the like, which is on the ribbon 11 and the printing plate 4, and printing the matter from the plate on the article.

As the rack 35 is longer than the rack 36 the ratio of the gearing in the sector mustibe suitably selected in order to obtain the proper rocking motion of the sector.

After the printing operation has. been performed the cams 15 and 16 will release the levers 7 and 20 simultaneously into the position shown in Fig. 2 under the action of their pull back springs 19 and 37, respectively. elevated position and at the same time the sector 9 is returned to the position in Fig. 2 in which it is ready to assume its initial position on the article when the arm 7 is lowered into the position of Fig. 3. This operation is repeated upon the following downward motion of the lever 7. a

With the clutch 17 it is possible to ,leave out certain printin plates, if desired. In this case the arm and the arm 20 must not be operated but remain in the position shown in Fig. 2. This may be effected b electromagnetic means, not shown, whic are operated by the plate orplates to be That is, the arm 7 returns to its.

ression lever a ivot in said lever an im pression platen on said pivot which is curved to a sector concentric with said pivot, means for displacing said pivot in sald lever and gearing for rocking said impression platen while the pivot is being displaced.

2. A printing machine comprising an impression lever, a rotary camfor operating said impression lever, a sector-shaped imp'ression platen carried on a pivotin said lever, a. rotary cam for reciprocating said pivot, and means for positively rocking said impression platen about said pivot during the reciprocation of said pivot.

3. A printing machine comprising an impression lever defining a slot, means for moving said lever to and fro between two final positions, a pivot in said slot, ,a sectorshaped impression platen adapted'to rock about said pivot, means for displacing said pivot in said slot when said slot is in horizontal position and means for positively rocking said impression platen while the pivot is being displaced in said slot.

4. A printing machine comprising an impression lever defining a slot, means for moving said lever to and fro between an upper and a lower final position, a pivot in said slot, a sector-shaped impression platen on mid pivot, means for displacing said pivot in said slot aftersaid impression lever has attained its lower final position, means for rocking said impression platen about said ivot, means for maintaining said impression lever in its lower final position during the displacement of said pivot platen on t into the position corresponding to the operative position of said impression platen,

and means for returning said pivot into the position corresponding to the initial position of said impression platen during the return motion of said lever into its initial position.

5. A printing machine comprisin an impression lever efining a slot, means or movmg said lever to and fro between two final positions, a pivot insaid slot, a sector-shaped impression platen onsaid pivot, means for displacing said pivot, a rack on said lever, a pinion loosely mounted on said pivot and meshing with saidrack, a circular rack on said impression platen, and gearing intermediate said pinion and said circular rack.

6. A printing machine comprising suporting means, an impression platen, means or slldablz and pivotally mounting the e-supporting means, and means for positively rocking the platen during the sliding thereof on the supporting means.

7 A printing machme comprising .a movable support, an impression platen, means for slidably mounting the platen on the movable supporting means for positively rocking tlie laten during the slidm movement thereof on the support and w en the support has reached final operative position.

8. A printing machine com rlsing a movable support, a sector shaped impression platen, means for slidably. and plvotally mounting the platen on the movable support and gearing interposed between the support, the platen and the mounting means for the platen for positively rockin the platen.

In testimony whereof I a x my signature.

JOSEPH KRELL. 

